Coll 30/198 ‘Persian Gulf Defence : - ABADAN.’ [‎39r] (77/229)

7 .
for instance an employee of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, who
was put on to some Civil Defence duty during the_hours when
he would otherwise have been working for the company would not
be able to count these hours towards hie maximum of 48.
5. O'/ith reference to paragraph 3 of the Regulation). It
will be necessary that a more or less comprehensive general
order should be made by the Minister setting out all the main
features of the scheme for Persia. It is ralised that this
may be work involving some labour and difficulty. If the
Minister considers that time permits and it is otherwise
desirable, he can send to the foreign Office a draft of his
proposed order, or a full statement of what he wishes to include
in it, and the order can be drafted here with the assistance of
the Ministry of Home Security. Alternatively, if, as is very
possible, this course would cause too much delay, the Minister
can issue his order and send a copy of the order as issued to
the foreign Office as soon as possible and it will be then vetted
here and (if necessary) he can issue an amending order
embodying any corrections which seem to be required. The
Legation are, however, in possession of copies of the orders
made for Egypt by the Ambassador at Cairo* and no doubt these
will be of great assistance in drafting the orders for Persia.
The recitals of orders made by the Minister should make it clear
that he makes them by virtue of the powers delegated to him by
the iecretary of Btate acting under Defence Regulation 29BB*
6. In sub-paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d) of paragraph 3
of the Regulation four categories of persons exempted from civil
defence obligations are set out. further categories of exempted
persons are set out in the instrument of delegation. Enumeration
of these classes in the Regulation and in the instrument of
delegation still leaves the 1 inister power to exempt further
categories under paragraph 4 (c) of the Regulation and to exempt
individuals as well as various classes of persons. In this
connexion the Minister should take steps to ensure that all
I British subjects who are more closely connected with a Dominion
than with any other part of the Empire are exempted individually,
I should they so wish. In the special circumstances the Government
of India has consented to the inclusion of British subjects and
jBritish protected persons belonging to India. Careful
consideration should also be given to (i) persons who possess
Persian as well as British nationality and (ii) persons in the
employment of the Persian Government. The Minister will consider
in connexion with the exemption of members of the staff of a
consulate or of persons otherwise engaged on official duties
whether the nature of the person’s work is such that the
performance of civil defence duties would impair its efficiency
and care should be taken that it should not appear that persons
occupying positions higher up in the official hierarchy are
generally exempted whereas those in humbler occupations at lower
salaries are always included. The test laid down in this country
for civil servants applies irrespective of rank and depends on
whether a person liable "to work exceptionally long and
"irregular hours on important business", the criterion being
whether performance of the duties "would seriously disturb the
"conduct of public business".